My Newb Plasma Table Attempted Build

According to the attached chart you should be cutting 16Ga at 502ipm or is this a different model. (I didn't see G3 anywhere)

It's the same model. The user manual that came with it didn't go that thin. So do you think cutting too slow may be the issue?

Not sure, I am not experienced enough in cutting to know but it is getting to the stage of trying anything...

Also one thing I forgot was after those ramp cuts I should have got you to do a level cut without THC that was long enough to show the issue and see what the arc voltage did on that cut.

Ok so a level no-THC long cut, then ramped with THC both ways (and figure out halscope for it). I'll get on it in the morning.

Just the long cut to start with, I just want to see what the arc voltage does without THC active.

Don't worry about ramped cuts now. When you figure out halscope just do normal THC enabled cuts with it.

This is an oldie (pre-plasmac) but a goodie showing volts at the start of a cut (in red) and when the THC goes active (in blue)



So if you do not wait long enough to sample the volts, you will sample in that piercing peak area. Then the THC decides it need to get back up to the sampled volts so eventually it is too high to sustain an aec. Hope this helps.

Set the delay time to be 1.5 seconds and see how you go. the two plasma boxes and different material (up to 16mm) I have played with did not seem to ever need a longer delay but in thin stuff, you might be able to sample at 0.5 seconds.

rodw wrote: Until you get the hang of halscope, just set it to normal and roll up the top right. Also you have to scale things right or they will be to big to fit on the screen. Start with the vertical scale to be 50/div so to vertical lines will be 100 volts. Sometimes 20/div will also fit in. as far as the horizontal goes, 200 ms/div is a good setting.

Hi Rod. Thanks a lot for the info. I'm getting ready to run those test cuts that Phil asked for. Question. THC active signal only goes to vertical 5/div and led-down. Where should I set those in halscope?

dvn4life1972 wrote:
Hi Rod. Thanks a lot for the info. I'm getting ready to run those test cuts that Phil asked for. Question. THC active signal only goes to vertical 5/div and led-down. Where should I set those in halscope?

Some signals are either on or off so they show up in halscope as 0 or 1. So thc active will be 0 to start with and go to 1 when it turns on (After 1.5 sec delay)

I would be tempted to first try a cut close to the speed in the cut chart and see what that does.

Ok I'll give it a go next cut. I changed to FineCut consumbales and I just ran a test cut. Wow the Hypertherm charts are pretty much useless from what I'm seeing with these.